


Stay Warm

by PsychoMantis



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, References to Illness, Sickfic, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 07:39:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3111536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychoMantis/pseuds/PsychoMantis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joseph gets sick, and that's just some shit Sebastian doesn't stand for. If you drown a problem in tea, it will eventually get resolved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay Warm

Sebastian was concerned pretty much the second he turned up at the office, late as usual, and didn’t hear Joseph scolding him. Joseph was never late.

“Chief,” Sebastian said, catching the man as he passed by, “Oda call and say why he’s late?”

The chief furrowed his brow and shook his head.

“Can’t say as to how he did,” he said, shrugging and walking off.

“Huh.”

Sebastian closed the office door behind him and stalked over to his desk. He pushed at the pile of papers on his desk with a sneer and ran a hand through his hair.

_Where the fuck was he?_

Sebastian dialed Joseph’s cell phone, tapping his foot nervously. There was no way he was going to get any work done while his partner was MIA. The least he could do is make sure the man was still alive, hadn’t gotten hit by a car or something.

Sebastian suppressed a shudder as the call connected.

“’Lo?” Joseph’s voice sounded uncharacteristically small and distant, and was followed by a series of clunks and thuds as he seemed to have dropped the phone.

“Shit, sorry. Hello?” Joseph said again.

“Joseph? Where the fuck are you?”

There was a pause, followed by a heavy sigh.

“Oh, goddammit…home. I’m… at my house, apparently. When I should be at work.”

“Apparently? Were you not previously aware?” Sebastian said.

“No, don’t usually wake up in the bathroom either, though, so I guess it’s just a parade of firsts today. Look, I’ll be there in a few minutes, I’m sorry-“ he was cut off by a few seconds of rattling cough.

“Jeez, you okay? Drink too much last night or something?” Sebastian said incredulously.

“What? No, no, I just- it doesn’t matter, like I said-“

“Sounds like the sort of thing that matters, Oda. Not to mention you sound like shit.”

“I must’ve fallen asleep. I was, ah, sort of holed up in here having a vomiting fit or something this morning. Like I said, doesn’t matter, I’ll be in the office as soon as you hang up the damn phone,” Joseph said hurriedly, and Sebastian could picture the irritated hand-wave that went with it.

_Vomiting? Shit_ , Sebastian thought, mentally rewinding their last week of work. Joseph had seemed kind of out of it, had been coughing, bleary eyed, blaming it on the endless wash of cold rain the weather had visited on them- it felt stupid that he hadn’t noticed in hindsight.

“No. You’re sick, and you’re not coming into work. Jesus, did you pass out puking or something?” Sebastian said, tugging on his hair.

“What? No, I just- didn’t get up in time, was tired, drifted off- listen, you can’t stop me from coming into work.“ Joseph was interrupted by an extended series of coughing fits that left him breathing hard into the receiver.

“You sound like a fuckin’ wreck, Joseph. Fuck it- stay put. I’m coming over. For all I know you’re bleeding from the fuckin’ eyes or something, and God knows you’d never take your own ass to the hospital.”

“Castellanos, don’t you dare-“

“And if you’re gone by the time I get there, I’m calling Chief and telling him you’re willfully infecting the entire precinct with whatever virus you’re carrying.”

“Sebastian!”

Joseph’s outburst was tinny through the speaker as he punched the “End Call” button.

\---

Sebastian made better time getting to Joseph’s apartment than he ever had on his way to work.

He scowled when he tried the doorknob and found it unlocked; either Joseph was being very considerate of Sebastian, or he’d been uncharacteristically careless about his personal safety.

“Joseph?”

He glanced around the empty living room, feeling a twist of fear in his chest when there was no answer. He’d just been kidding about the whole “bleeding-need-to-go-to-the-hospital” thing…

He let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding when he found Joseph, head cradled in his arms, asleep at his table. There was still a cup of coffee in his hand, and he’d managed to dress himself- almost. He was wearing dress pants, and a white shirt that was only halfway buttoned. His vest and holster were hung carefully on a chair.

“Hey,” Sebastian said, squeezing Joseph’s shoulder, “valiant effort at the ‘going to work’ thing, but maybe you should give up and move somewhere more comfortable.”

Joseph startled awake, opening his mouth to speak and getting a deep coughing jag for his trouble. He took in a few measured breaths before sniffling and turning to glare at Sebastian.

“Goddamn it, “ Joseph said, voice starting to sound raw.

“Save it,” Sebastian said with a smile, pushing the coffee cup away, “and go lie down or something.”

Sebastian made a shooing motion at Joseph and turned to his partner’s kitchen implements. He filled the electric kettle with water, flicked it on, and set about digging up a box of tea. He knew Joseph kept an ungodly amount of Earl Grey around somewhere.

He glanced back at Joseph, who had crossed his arms and glared stubbornly at Sebastian as he rifled through his cabinets. Sebastian brandished a slice of bread at Joseph menacingly.

“Go.”

“This is my apartment, Castellanos, and I’ll sit where I damn well please.”

Sebastian made a tutting sound, and turned back to the kitchen counter, loading the toaster with a click.

Silently, Sebastian scooped Joseph up from his chair, lifting him with audible effort, and carried him into the living room bridal-style.

“H-hey!” Joseph shouted, kicking fruitlessly. Sebastian deposited him carefully onto the sofa. He disappeared for a moment, returning with a blanket that he draped over Joseph.

“There. Now stay. Put,” Sebastian said, going back into Joseph’s kitchen.

“You’re incorrigible,” Joseph muttered, draping an arm over his mouth as he punctuated the statement with a sneeze.

\---

Sebastian walked back to the couch, balancing a plate on a mug, and nudged Joseph out of his drowsy stupor.

“Morning, starshine,” he said, grinning at the cross look Joseph shot him.

“Yep, still here. Now eat something,” Sebastian said, thrusting the plate into his hands, “made you some toast with that disgusting seaweed shit.”

“It’s nori,” Joseph grumbled, accepting the mug of tea Sebastian passed him and took a sip.

He made a face.

“Jesus, what did you do, dump the whole sugar bowl in this?”

“It’s honey,” Sebastian said, jabbing the air with his index finger for emphasis, “and it’s good for you. Don’t bitch about it.”

“Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Maybe. Shouldn’t you eat something?”

Sebastian perched on the arm of the couch, watching Joseph take a few reluctant bites of the toast.

It only took a few moments for the silence to bother Sebastian. He turned on Joseph’s TV, if only for the background noise.

“How you feelin’ anyhow?” Sebastian said.

“Honestly?” Joseph said, pausing to cough, “awful.”

Sebastian frowned and leaned over him, placing the flat of his palm to Joseph’s forehead. Joseph jumped in surprise.

“Hey!”

“Tch, feels kind of warm. Think you’re running a fever,” Sebastian said.

Sebastian gestured to the cup of tea. 

“Drink your damn tea. You’re going to get dehydrated.”

Joseph rolled his eyes, but Sebastian was gratified to see him comply.

\---

When Joseph woke again, he was still lying on the couch, another blanket draped over him and tucked around his shoulders. A pillow had also mysteriously appeared under him. God, he must have been out of it.

Sebastian was still there. He was sitting on the floor and leaning back against the couch, staring with serious intent at the TV screen. Joseph looked over to see what on earth could be so captivating.

There were kittens prancing to-and-fro on the screen, tumbling out of baskets and meowing with charming little ribbons around their necks. A deep voice-over, dramatically narrated adorable scenes from the kittens’ adorable little lives.

“What are you watching?” Joseph said, smiling when Sebastian startled slightly.

“Oh, uh,” Sebastian said, rubbing the back of his neck, “you know. Nature documentaries.”

Sebastian stood up and stretched, not noticing the sort-of blank way Joseph watched his body move. He wasn’t usually this obvious about his interest in Sebastian’s body- maybe he could blame it on the fever. Mercifully, Joseph’s trance was broken by a sneezing fit before he could be caught.

When Joseph recovered from the resulting dizzy spell, he looked up to see Sebastian staring at him, chewing his lip thoughtfully.

“Maybe I should take you to a doctor.”

“No,” Joseph said weakly, coughing into his fist, “waste of time.”

He was trying to catch his breath, holding his head still from the spinning sensation with one hand. God, it felt like every part of him had been through a tumble-dryer.

“What if you have pneumonia or some shit?” Sebastian said.

“I’m not going.”

Sebastian grunted but didn’t argue further.

“Gonna see if you have any medicine hangin’ around here,” Sebastian said, “help you ease up on the coughing, maybe.”

“Uh, sure,” Joseph said, trying to finger-comb his hair back into some semblance of order, “check the third drawer down, I guess.”

After what sounded like a brief fight with the kitchen drawers, Sebastian re-emerged with another cup of tea and a bottle of pills.

“Just some ibuprofen, but maybe it’ll help-“

Joseph curled in on himself with a strangled sound, dropping to his knees on the carpet.

“Joseph?”

Joseph stood up on unsteady legs and dashed into the bathroom, hands clapped over his mouth. Sebastian went after him, flinching when Joseph began retching into the sink.

Sebastian came up behind him, brushing Joseph’s loose hair back from his face while he puked. He plucked the glasses off his face, lest they fall into the sink too. Joseph was trembling violently, barely maintaining his grip on the rim of the sink. Sebastian couldn’t do anything but rub the heel of his palm between Joseph’s shoulder blades and wait for the spell to pass.

Eventually, it seemed to subside, leaving Joseph slumped over the sink and gasping, eyes leaking tears, nose running, and drooling from the exertion.

“Well,” Sebastian said into the silence, “that was gross.”

Joseph shot him an irritated look before his knees shook and gave out from under him.

“Whoa there!” Sebastian said, catching Joseph against his chest and lowering him carefully to the floor. Joseph caught a fleeting expression of worry cross Sebastian’s features, and prepared himself for another lecture about seeing a doctor.

Sebastian just moved to wet a hand-towel in the tub before he turned and gently wiped the uncomfortable proliferation of fluids from Joseph’s face. The cool, wet fabric felt incredible against his fevered skin. Joseph wasn’t even entirely aware that he had leaned into Sebastian’s hand.

“Think you can stand up?” Sebastian said.

Joseph nodded and pushed himself up, wobbling like a baby deer. Sebastian wrapped a steadying arm around his shoulders, and passed him a capful of mouthwash. Joseph took it gratefully.

He sat Joseph down on the closed toilet seat and walked off, returning with a cup of water.

“Just a little bit,” Sebastian warned, handing Joseph the cup, “too much, and you’ll just puke it all back up again.”

Joseph drank a little bit, but the way the cold liquid twisted his insides made it impossible to so much as consider drinking any more. He didn’t even have the energy to protest when Sebastian placed his hand against his forehead.

“Fuck,” Sebastian breathed, running a hand through Joseph’s hair.

Before Joseph could so much as get his thoughts in order, much less ask what was wrong, Sebastian had grabbed him and lifted him into his arms again.

“C’mon, Jojo,” Sebastian grunted.

He’d have fought it, but suddenly everything was foggy and buzzing and a little too warm. Instead, he let his head drop heavily against Sebastian’s chest, thinking something hazy and pleasant about Seb’s muscles that he’d probably feel strange about later.

Sebastian deposited him gingerly on his bed, and Joseph found himself disappointed at the lack of contact. Only momentarily though, because suddenly Sebastian was undoing the buttons of his shirt and tugging it off his arms. It was a reason to be grateful for the fever, at least – hopefully it would be a good cover for how flushed his face must be.

After that, it was impossible to keep his thoughts coherent. The last thing he registered was a soothingly cool rag being pressed to his forehead and then, nothing.

\---

“Ffffuck!”

Joseph sat up suddenly, head and stomach churning with panic. He couldn’t remember what he’d been dreaming about, but whatever it was, it had shaken him rather badly.

He heard a startled yelp and turned in time to see Sebastian fumble the book he’d been holding.

“Jesus, Jojo! The hell?” Sebastian said, picking up the book.

“Sorry,” Joseph said, rubbing his forehead. Sebastian took the cue and passed him his glasses.

“Fever dreams?”

Joseph nodded, rolling his eyes when Sebastian reached forward to check his temperature.

“Huh. Well, seems like your fever’s gone down a bit, at least. Feeling any better? You were just about keeling over back there.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m feeling less…incoherent, anyway.”

Joseph stretched his arms over his head, remembering too late as the blanket slid down to his waist that he was shirtless.

“Eh…Seb?”

“Mm?”

“Think you could grab me a shirt?”

“Oh,” Sebastian said flatly. He seemed to not have registered for a few seconds that Joseph had been talking.

Joseph tried not to read into the way Sebastian was staring. The thought was…distracting.

“Seb. Shirt?” Joseph said.

“Y-yeah, yeah,” Sebastian said, shaking his head and grabbing a t-shirt out of Joseph’s dresser. He tossed it to Joseph, watching him pull it on with shivery hands.

“Just a sec,” Sebastian said, and left the room. He returned with another cup of hot tea.

“How many of those are you going to make me drink,” Joseph groaned.

“You puked up the last one.”

“I don’t really want anything else going in or out of me, potentially for the rest of my life.”

Sebastian’s face tightened as he tried not to smile, until he erupted in barking laughter. Joseph felt his cheeks go hot and he snatched the tea from Sebastian with a grimace.

“Shut up.”

“Phrasing, Joseph.”

“I said shut up!”

Sebastian tried to suppress his chuckling, and sat down on the edge of the bed near Joseph. Joseph dutifully sipped at the tea, more for Sebastian’s benefit than anything else. He coughed, and came dangerously close to spilling the liquid everywhere. Sebastian took the cup and set it on the chair.

“Looks like you’ve got a drinking problem,” Sebastian said.

Joseph managed a wan smile.

“Your jokes are terrible,” Joseph said.

Sebastian grinned back at him, the expression softening as he watched the fine tremors that had started in Joseph’s shoulders.

“You’re not going to puke again, are you?” Sebastian said.

“No, I just feel kinda…cold,” Joseph said, shivering again.

“Aw, shit,” Sebastian huffed, “hold on, I’m going to go grab that ibuprofen.”

By the time Sebastian got back, Joseph was shivering uncontrollably, even with the blankets pulled up to his chest, teeth just about chattering from the force.

“Here,” Sebastian said, upending a pair of pills into Joseph’s hand. He handed the cup of tea to him, then seemed to think better of it. He clasped his hands over Joseph’s to steady the cup and keep him from spilling it everywhere as he chased the pills.

“T-thanks,” Joseph said, staring down at his lap.

Sebastian set the cup back down and settled at the edge of the bed.

“Shove over,” Sebastian said.

Joseph blinked at him in confusion before moving to the middle of the bed. He was too surprised to protest when Sebastian took off his shoes and vest, and slid under the covers of the bed beside Joseph.

“S-Seb?”

Sebastian pulled the covers up over them and wordlessly wrapped his arms around Joseph’s midsection, pulling him close so that Joseph’s back was flush to Sebastian’s chest. Joseph shuddered a little against Sebastian, who gave him a reassuring squeeze.

“What are you doing, Seb?”

“Keeping you warm,” Sebastian said quietly, his breath ghosting over Joseph’s neck.

Well. He did feel a little warmer…

“That is, if you’re okay with that,” Sebastian added quickly. Joseph was struck by how odd it was to hear Sebastian sound…uncertain. Nervous, even.

“Yeah, actually,” Joseph said, “I’m really okay with that.”

Feeling like shit was making him terribly bold.

Sebastian chuckled, the sound reverberating against Joseph’s body.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm.”

“Shut up,” Joseph said, his yawn trailing into a weak cough.

“No promises. Now try to get some rest.”

“You know, this is probably going to get you sick too,” Joseph said.

“Whatever,” Sebastian said, reaching up and running his fingers through Joseph’s hair, “worth it.”

Joseph would have argued, but he could already feel himself start to drift off. He’d have to tell Seb off later.

Sebastian craned his neck a little and pressed a soft kiss on Joseph’s cheek.

Joseph fell asleep, figuring they were going to have to talk about that eventually.


End file.
